Ships Circling In A Foggy Night
by Fictioneer
Summary: What happens when a post-Asuna Kirito and Leafa are clueless of their real-life selves?
1. Chapter 1

Greetings:

This is quickie spin-off sketch was originally meant as a bridge between two longer tales but instead of deleting this treatment I'm posting it as an appetizer. Not deja-vu, but some borrowed passages will be familiar to readers. For those asking, I have a "true" Suguha x Kazuto tale in the oven, so be patient. My prejudice is with Leafa x Kirito because of the unique situation posed them. Previously posted on Reddit.

 **Ships Circling In A Foggy Night**

by Fictioneer

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When dawn streamed though the forest cabin's windows and stung and stirred my eyes open, my nose whiffed on a nest silky tresses cuddled under my arm and for several moments wild hope and exultation rushed me before my blurry eyes sharpened to realize that the fluffy silk I was nuzzling wasn't strawberry blond.

No.

Cornsilk blonde...

Not Asuna.

I braced my startle from waking the sleek flaxen femline lolling against me, plump creamy melons pressing my pounding ribs.

Leafa.

Christ, so that's why it felt so different through the inner storm of my night, that it wasn't just reality smeared by the angst and anguish and despair that it was Asuna running back with contrite tears.

It all came rushing back...

Leafa.

This fay girl I barely knew who helped me quest to the World Tree for Asuna, who risked pain and Sylph reputation to stand by me. Who somehow discovered and slipped into my lonely forest cabin during the pit of my drunken almost suicidal despair and held me tight as her bosom sponged my heaving sobs and beyond...

Leafa purred then her feathery eyelashes fluttered and her emerald orbs cast up at me and coral lips smiled. "Good morning, Kirito-kun."

"Uh, morning Leafa," I automatically replied like a blank shield against what to say, how to answer. I should be awkward or at least feel the guilt of a ingrate or betrayer?

But why?

Why not? I'm the one who got shafted...

"Uh...sorry that - that I hadn't gotten back to you all these weeks..." I clumsily broke the ice, so inappropriate and under the dam now.

Leafa's whispery-soft voice was like a purr; "No need. I understand."

"It's just that - so much has happened since I left you at the World Tree -"

"No need to apologize, Kirito-kun."

"Still -"

"No, don't spoil it, Kirito-kun -" she half-whispered like a hurried hush against my spoiling a magic moment. I smiled and stroked her smooth shoulders.

She was there when I desperately needed someone, even if I was too far gone in despair and grief to really know what was going on in the world, real or VR.

"I have to. Understand, I was - almost totally blind about who...mean, I thought that ...what happened last night was - a stormy dream with - with someone else."

"There's no need to apologize, Kirito-kun. Or regret."

"No..." I soberly concurred like in grim settling relief then wondered. "You - sensed what happened with me."

"I knew your heart was broken and that your devotion was terribly wronged. That it must've been a deep love by how passionately you tore away from my holding you back from going back to fight the World Tree guardians before the sky boomed the announcement that Cardinal crashed and the three hundred were free and awake."

I sheepishly blushed. "Still, that was unforgivably rude of me when I heard that, just ditching you cold like that five weeks ago -"

"I understand. "

"I - I should explain -"

"No need, and for what purpose now?"

Her womanly wisdom had a point.

She didn't need the now irrelevant details.

She didn't need to know that I lost Asuna to her macho therapist Osado who was welded by her side ever since she and three hundred souls hijacked by Nobuyuki Sugou were freed when Cardinal crashed and landed them in the SAO clinic. I underestimated the stress that additional VR venture gave her and the type of "quality time" being given to her by Osado in her quarantined coalescence. I left myself out of the loop with the assumption it was helping her, only it was giving them time to evolve from caring doctor - doting patient to much more.

I didn't need Osado crisply saying aside that I was "a boy" and Asuna longed an older man.

I didn't truly need Asuna's cripplingly aloof "Dear John" apology...

My chest buckles.

Too fresh...too fresh.

Leafa's smooth flank slides against me like an eraser over a blackboard.

"It's done, Kirito-kun."

"You can tell?" I asked like it was magical perception. "Still, Leafa, you didn't have to -"

"I wanted to, Kirito-kun."

I nodded, wanting to be both appreciative and grateful before a mortal sacrifice...

"Leafa-san...even though - I was half out of myself and my body was working by its own accord, I could sense that you...you were...were...a - a -"

"I'm glad you my first, Kirito-kun," Leafa unabashedly said.

"I - am honored, Leafa-san, though I must face in that that - that even though IRL you're unplucked in body, my delirium here stole the honor of your soul."

"Kirito-kun, I am here for you now and ever, as I somehow feel deep I always was."

I smiled at her dedication and her odd familiar mention. "Uh, somehow I feel that way too...even now. You don't feel like someone I only met less than a day."

"You too?"

"Yea. Weird, but - it feels like - like somehow I know you from another time, another world but somehow far closer."

"Me too," Leafa puzzledly concurred. "Maybe it was fate that we're together."

"Tis a mystery we'll solve it one day - together."

"Yes...always!" Leafa vowed and I just had to peck her cute pert nose.

"ATTENTION GAMERS!" A goddess voice boomed from the skies. "THE SYSTEM IS GOING DOWN FOR THREE HOURS OF MAINTENANCE IN FIVE MINUTES."

"Damn!" I swore aloud, feeling soft creamy boobs press closer.

"I want to stay here forever!" Leafa rued.

"Me too," I said. "We'll log back here in three hours, kay?"

"Yes!"

"Till then," I said as Leafa hastily cuddled fast in a quick hard fondling embrace that swiftly escalated to...

Rudely, moaning, gasping, bucking Leafa disappeared beneath me and I was suddenly alone in my real world bedroom humping my mattress as my previously dormant body suddenly jumped to echo my racing mental state.

Damn!

I groaned and pulled off my Full Dive helmet and rolled back on my pillow and panted.

Geezus!

Can't believe Leafa was a virgin only a few hours ago!

Talk about a quick study in love!

And that's the funny thing. It took awhile for Asuna to hook into me, but it feels like Leafa and I always were...together, a long long time, like ships circling another in the fog.

So weird.

But Leafa did the impossible, stitching my torn heart back with her care and yearning, and we were now irreversible souls. I owed her and owed myself her.

Faintly I heard a door open down the hall and the swift pitter-patter of feet dashing past my door into the bathroom. I glimpsed the clock.

Wow! I really overslept!

But seems like Suguha's late doing breakfast too, though she rarely ever does that so she must've had one heavy cram night.

I waited for Suguha's patter to leave the bathroom before I went in and was floored by traces of sweet musk scented steam!

Yikes!

Till I knew Asuna I didn't know sweat also had a distinctive sex scent and that your body sweated in sync with your mental condition in VR.

Was my innocent imouto having torrid wet dreams?

I chuckled at that corrupting vision and showered then dressed then strode into the kitchen where my tomboy imouto was busily prancing and humming a lively tune with a spring to her step that sent her buxom jersey bouncing and short raven locks flouncing as her sneakers and short-shorts flaunted long lean legs which for a long moment threw me into a odd delicious reverie.

"Morning, onii-chan!" she chimed and looked at me with a look all aglow. "Onii-chan, you're smiling!"

"Uh, yea, so I am," I said, sitting at the table. "I - figured I was in mourning long enough."

"About time! It hurts seeing onii-chan down in the dumps! Don't worry, you'll find someone more worthy and loyal!"

"Well, you look like you've haven't done badly in the perk up department yourself! What brought that on?"

Suguha's giggle tinkered like a coy little girl; "Ohhhh, wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, if you finally landed a boyfriend, it's my duty to check the guy out."

"I can judge the character of a man myself, onii-chan, and he's a real man!"

I smirked. "That line sounds unsettlingly familiar."

"Well, now I don't have to pine for onii-chan anymore!" Suguha outrageously jested, placing cereal before me. "Oh, I have to come home early from school to - brush up on my calculus for the rest of the day."

"No problem. I'll be all day waiting for - er, studying for exams. So if I don't answer my door for seven or eight hours, give me a pass. In fact, I might even miss dinner so don't set a plate, okay?"

"That's alright, I'll be shacking up with some take-out for my overnighter."

"Boy, we are sure settling down hard these days, aren't we?"

FIN?


	2. Chapter 2

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